What does structural analysis help students to do?

Structural analysis is a crucial skill in reading that involves understanding the structure of words, particularly how prefixes, suffixes, and root words combine to form meanings. This approach helps students decode unfamiliar words and enhances their vocabulary through the recognition of word parts. By teaching students to analyze the structure of words, they become more adept at figuring out the meanings of new or complex words independently, thus improving their overall reading comprehension and fluency.

In contrast, the other options do not relate to the primary function of structural analysis. Effective essay writing, for instance, involves different skills such as organization and argumentation rather than word structure. Improving listening skills focuses on auditory processing, which is unrelated to structural analysis. Lastly, while reading fluency is essential, it is more often developed through practice and repetition rather than the structural analysis of words.